Townend excels on Dancer

Paul Townend just got Dysart Dancer (13/8jfav) up on the line to win the Bloomfield House Hotel Mares Hurdle for trainer Willie Mullins.

The seven-year-old daughter of Accordion led for much of the contest but she was keen and wandered around before her hurdles.

She was headed at the fourth last but she found more on the run-in to just get up close home to win by a neck from Honey Bach

That one had kicked on from the fourth last but she narrowly failed to see it out, under Davy Condon for Brian Hamilton. Spring Hawk (8/1) finished a length and a quarter back in third having been squeezed for room turning in. Cherish The Pear was the other 13/8 joint favourite and she finished last of the four under Andrew Lynch for Tom Taaffe.

Paul Townend said afterwards: "She was very hard on herself. She pulled very hard and I had to give her a chance. She was very tough to get back up like that."

The winner was recording her third success in-a-row having won a maiden hurdle on her last start at Tramore in August and a bumper at Downpatrick in May on her start before that.